Who’s the Hardest to Please on American Idol 2014? The Judges Reveal!

Ever since learning that Randy Jackson was officially leaving American Idol, we began to wonder who would replace him as the toughest judge to please. Though no one’s ever been quite as opinionated as, say, Simon Cowell, Randy slowly but surely turned into the most critical judge on the panel, never afraid to mince words when delivering his comments. (That said, those “dawgs” did help soften the blow.)

Now that Idol is returning for Season 13 (man, we feel old!), it’s time for someone else to step up and be the “baddie” of the show. Enter Harry Connick, Jr. The 46-year-old jazz musician is already labeling himself the hardest to impress, but adds that his “intense face” while listening makes him look meaner than he really is.

“Let me just go out and say it,” Harry revealed during a live Q&A on January 14. “I think we have a pretty low standard right now. And yes, I am hard to impress, because I think we can do better. [...] Let’s get really real. It has nothing to do with talent, it has to do with a standard.”

“This is America, man!,” he continued. “This is the greatest country in the world. We have access to any kind of musical education, any kind of influence. It’s all on your phone. So yeah, I guess honestly, I am a little hard to impress. But it’s just a challenge to these young performers to work at your frickin’ craft!”

For more from the American Idol Season 13 live Q&A, head on over to livestream.com!